Pitchers and Catchers are reporting, it's time to talk: NL Central Predictions?

With Fielder, Pujols, Carpenter, and even Tony La Russa leaving the division (plus Braun's suspension)
... I feel it's the Reds pennant to lose this year.

Having said that, the Cardinals have some studs left on the depth chart (Wainwright, Berkman, Holliday, Beltran), not to mention they're just the Cardinals and they're just always in contention....
And the Brewers are just one year removed from being 30 games over .500...

Pitchers and Catchers are reporting, it's time to talk: NL Central Predictions?

With Fielder, Pujols, Carpenter, and even Tony La Russa leaving the division (plus Braun's suspension)
... I feel it's the Reds pennant to lose this year.

Having said that, the Cardinals have some studs left on the depth chart (Wainwright, Berkman, Holliday, Beltran), not to mention they're just the Cardinals and they're just always in contention....
And the Brewers are just one year removed from being 30 games over .500...

Reds should be the favorites, but they still have the most over rated manager in baseball. The Cardinals under 500? No way! Wainright was out the entire year last year. He is one of the better pitchers in baseball. No Albert but still have a good team.

And my Cubs will be pretty bad but will not lose 95 games. Give the regime a year or two... I hope

Comes down to Cardinals and Reds. I have faith Dusty will blow it. Cardinals win division. And that's not easy for a Cub fan to predict.

Reds should be the favorites, but they still have the most over rated manager in baseball. The Cardinals under 500? No way! Wainright was out the entire year last year. He is one of the better pitchers in baseball. No Albert but still have a good team.

And my Cubs will be pretty bad but will not lose 95 games. Give the regime a year or two... I hope

Comes down to Cardinals and Reds. I have faith Dusty will blow it. Cardinals win division. And that's not easy for a Cub fan to predict.

It could definitely happen. I think losing Pujols and Carpenter and Tony La Russa spells disaster for the Cardinals personally, and I do see them being just under .500, if not just for this year. It felt wrong when I typed it, but I'm just not feeling it...

As far as your Cubbies go, I've been to Wrigley a few times, love the place, I think Theo is going to be great for them, but... this team is about two years from being close to .500... The rotation is sketchy, good relievers are few and far between, and the positions players are mostly either old or unproven (aside from Starlin). They may not lose 95, but it gets the point across.

It could definitely happen. I think losing Pujols and Carpenter and Tony La Russa spells disaster for the Cardinals personally, and I do see them being just under .500, if not just for this year. It felt wrong when I typed it, but I'm just not feeling it...

As far as your Cubbies go, I've been to Wrigley a few times, love the place, I think Theo is going to be great for them, but... this team is about two years from being close to .500... The rotation is sketchy, good relievers are few and far between, and the positions players are mostly either old or unproven (aside from Starlin). They may not lose 95, but it gets the point across.

A friend told me yesterday and I googled it and the headlines said "Chris Carpenter to Red Sox". Just looked again and noticed it said "CUBS Send Chris Carpenter to Red Sox"... So it was the wrong one!! haha
Thanks for doubting me, now I know, the Cardinals still have Carpenter!

A friend told me yesterday and I googled it and the headlines said "Chris Carpenter to Red Sox". Just looked again and noticed it said "CUBS Send Chris Carpenter to Red Sox"... So it was the wrong one!! haha
Thanks for doubting me, now I know, the Cardinals still have Carpenter!

Starting pitching will be the deciding factor for my Redlegs this year. Latos comes highly regarded and as of now we are healthy so I'm hopeful. If Chapman shows he's ready for the big time he will make Dustys job hard coming out of Spring Training
I'm not in love with dealing Yonder for Latos...the likelihood of locking up Votto longterm is fleeting and imo, Yonder was one year away from having the glove for First. Could've worked out...but alas, what is done is done

As much as I love my Reds, I still have a hard time believing that we are the favorite to win the division. I believe that in order for us to win the division, we need Bruce and Stubbs to step it up. Bruce hit .256 last year, while Stubbs hit .243. If these two guys do not improve, then I feel as though we'll be looking up at the Cardinals at the end of the year. I know that everyone seems to really like the Latos deal, but it is a wait and see for me. He was 9-14 last year with a 3.47 ERA, while pitching for San Diego (very pitcher friendly park). Now he has to pitch at Great American (very hitter friendly park). I know that he is young, and that his numbers were much better in 2010 (ERA slightly under 3.00). Latos will definitely make our starting rotation better, I'm just not so sure the improvement will be enough. Signing Madson from the Phillies was a very good pickup. Since we only signed him to a 1-year deal, he will be looking to have a good year in order to get a better deal next year.

The Cardinals may have lost Pujols and LaRussa, but they gained a healthy Wainwright, plus signed Beltran. If Berkman has another solid season left in him, then I have to give the Cardinals the advantage.

As much as I love my Reds, I still have a hard time believing that we are the favorite to win the division. I believe that in order for us to win the division, we need Bruce and Stubbs to step it up. Bruce hit .256 last year, while Stubbs hit .243. If these two guys do not improve, then I feel as though we'll be looking up at the Cardinals at the end of the year. I know that everyone seems to really like the Latos deal, but it is a wait and see for me. He was 9-14 last year with a 3.47 ERA, while pitching for San Diego (very pitcher friendly park). Now he has to pitch at Great American (very hitter friendly park). I know that he is young, and that his numbers were much better in 2010 (ERA slightly under 3.00). Latos will definitely make our starting rotation better, I'm just not so sure the improvement will be enough. Signing Madson from the Phillies was a very good pickup. Since we only signed him to a 1-year deal, he will be looking to have a good year in order to get a better deal next year.

The Cardinals may have lost Pujols and LaRussa, but they gained a healthy Wainwright, plus signed Beltran. If Berkman has another solid season left in him, then I have to give the Cardinals the advantage.

Hate to say it, but did the Reds really gain that much ground on these two teams during the offseason?

Brewers lost Fielder and added Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez is a defensive liability at 3rd, still can produce at the plate but does not give 100% effort. Likes to jog down 1st base. Main reason the Cubs said see ya.

Beltran issue is staying health. Lot a if's for most of the division this year.

The Cardinals lost La Russa and Albert Pujols. It's a big deal. Berkman and Holliday will be pitched against much more aggressively without Pujols around, and as cubbies4life said, Beltran is a health issue. They did get Wainwright back, but there's no way that his return will entirely compensate for the other issues.

Brewers, same deal. Teams can pitch around Braun now and not worry about the big fella making them pay. Both the Brewers and Cardinals lost figureheads, and transition years always present struggles.

Still saying it is a 3-team race, and I would honestly give the edge to the Brewers right now, but it will be a tight finish as it stands now.

Still saying it is a 3-team race, and I would honestly give the edge to the Brewers right now, but it will be a tight finish as it stands now.

I definitely agree that it is a 3-team race. Ultimately, I think that if the Reds can regain their 2010 form, then they should win the division. If they play like they did last year, then we might be missing out on the playoffs.

I just look at last years standings and I have to question if we can gain 17 wins on the Brewers. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this season has to offer.

I feel the Reds are easily the favorites in this division. They have upgraded the starting rotation, definitely upgraded the bullpen and have an everyday lineup that should be fine, and a very good defensive team.

I think the Cards take a big step back because of one reason, LaRussa. I think he may have been more responsible for their success than Pujoles. LaRussa pushed that team to play WAY over their heads, for years! Matheny will not have near the same affect in the clubhouse. Wainright's a question, he missed an entire season. Beltran's not been a big time producer since the playoff stretch with Astros years ago. He's been an underachiever since. Berkman rode Pujoles coat tails last year. Of course he was going to see pitches to hit with Pujoles around him all the time.
Brewers are going to drop off, too many career years out of most of their guys last year, and I think although Braun is not suspended, I think he'll have a tough year. Most still feel he cheated, he'll have alot of pressure to prove otherwise.

I feel the Reds are easily the favorites in this division. They have upgraded the starting rotation, definitely upgraded the bullpen and have an everyday lineup that should be fine, and a very good defensive team.

I think the Cards take a big step back because of one reason, LaRussa. I think he may have been more responsible for their success than Pujoles. LaRussa pushed that team to play WAY over their heads, for years! Matheny will not have near the same affect in the clubhouse. Wainright's a question, he missed an entire season. Beltran's not been a big time producer since the playoff stretch with Astros years ago. He's been an underachiever since. Berkman rode Pujoles coat tails last year. Of course he was going to see pitches to hit with Pujoles around him all the time.
Brewers are going to drop off, too many career years out of most of their guys last year, and I think although Braun is not suspended, I think he'll have a tough year. Most still feel he cheated, he'll have alot of pressure to prove otherwise.

Actually, I'd say the biggest loss for the Cardinals, something that hasn't been mentioned yet, is no Dave Duncan.

Let's be honest here - Pujols made that St. Louis offense for years. Holliday, Berkman, etc. had protection last year and saw a lot of good pitches because of Albert. His departure changes everything. Beltran can help bring a little of that back, but I think it's fair to expect he will break down and not play the entire season.

With that said, the biggest advantage the Cardinals have had over the years is Duncan. He turned mediocre pitchers into All-Stars. Wainwright is back, sure, but Reds fans know all too well it takes a little while to adjust even when you are "fully recovered" from Tommy John surgery.

Put two and two together, along with a rookie manager, and I see the Cardinals falling off quite a bit this year.

Actually, I'd say the biggest loss for the Cardinals, something that hasn't been mentioned yet, is no Dave Duncan.

Let's be honest here - Pujols made that St. Louis offense for years. Holliday, Berkman, etc. had protection last year and saw a lot of good pitches because of Albert. His departure changes everything. Beltran can help bring a little of that back, but I think it's fair to expect he will break down and not play the entire season.

With that said, the biggest advantage the Cardinals have had over the years is Duncan. He turned mediocre pitchers into All-Stars. Wainwright is back, sure, but Reds fans know all too well it takes a little while to adjust even when you are "fully recovered" from Tommy John surgery.

Put two and two together, along with a rookie manager, and I see the Cardinals falling off quite a bit this year.

I feel the Reds are easily the favorites in this division. They have upgraded the starting rotation, definitely upgraded the bullpen and have an everyday lineup that should be fine, and a very good defensive team.

I think the Cards take a big step back because of one reason, LaRussa. I think he may have been more responsible for their success than Pujoles. LaRussa pushed that team to play WAY over their heads, for years! Matheny will not have near the same affect in the clubhouse. Wainright's a question, he missed an entire season. Beltran's not been a big time producer since the playoff stretch with Astros years ago. He's been an underachiever since. Berkman rode Pujoles coat tails last year. Of course he was going to see pitches to hit with Pujoles around him all the time.
Brewers are going to drop off, too many career years out of most of their guys last year, and I think although Braun is not suspended, I think he'll have a tough year. Most still feel he cheated, he'll have alot of pressure to prove otherwise.